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International Association of Independent Recording Artists
The International Association of Independent Recording Artists (IAIRA) is an organization that represents the independent recording industry throughout the world. It seeks to serve as an unbiased repository for recording industry reporting chart data collected from various publications. Its members consist of record labels, recording artists, broadcasters and distributors. IAIRA was formed in 2006. The company participates in the collection, administration and certification of recorded works, including chart position and significant media activity.http://www.iaira.com/certification/ IAIRA certification is issued without regard to advertisement, political prowess, subjective interpretation, or personal opinion. IAIRA extensively researches various credible reporting charts and certifies the chart position attained by a specific work released by entities not affiliated with major record companies. IAIRA is dedicated to share the art and creativity of the Independent Recording Arts with the world. Certification Eligibility Presently, an IAIRA certified release is a single or album that has attained significant chart position on an internationally recognized reporting chart. Originally, the requirement for a IAIRA certification was that the recorded work attain a "top ten" standing. In 2009, IAIRA began recognizing "top 100" releases. Reflecting growth in the independent recording market, in 2010 IAIRA-certified #1 releases were granted "Gold Seal Certification". Because of these changes in criteria, the award level associated with a particular award depends on when the award was made. Nielsen SoundScan figures are not used in IAIRA certification; IAIRA conducts its own audits of internationally recognized charts and verifies chart position manually. IAIRA's system seeks to serve as an accurate alternative to the occasional industry practice of promoting a work as certified based on large promotion budgets rather than sales. Current releases Certification of current releases is somewhat automatic. IAIRA employs a staff of researchers, mostly volunteers, who review various charts of independent releases. Once a release has been determined to be eligible, the contributing party is notified, typically by email. There is no fee associated with certification. Eligible contributors may request a letter of certification. Previous works Certification is not automatic; for an award to be made, the record label or contributing party must request certification and pay a fee to have the recording audited. The audit is conducted against actual chart position and must be verified. File sharing IAIRA opposes unauthorized sharing of protected music. Studies conducted since the association began its campaign against peer-to-peer file-sharing have concluded that losses incurred per download range from negligible [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=technology&res=9C02E2D91139F936A35757C0A9629C8B63 A Heretical View of File Sharing], by John Schwartz, The New York Times, 5 April 2004 to substantial.Siwek, Stephen E. The True Cost of Sound Recording Piracy to the U.S. Economy (2007) IPI Policy Report 188, 2007, 6-10.Butler, Susan. Report: Piracy Has Cost U.S. $12.5 Billion, Billboard magazine. August 21, 2007. Executive staff The president of IAIRA is Frank Scherman. Scherman has been actively involved in the business side of the entertainment industry for more than 20 years. During the 1980s and into 1990 he held the position of Charts Director for the industry trade publication Cashbox. He has provided consulting services for numerous entertainment artists including Alabama, George Jones, Shenandoah, Heartland and Grand Ole Opry star Billy Walker. The chief operating officer is Mark Carman, known as a businessman in the music industry, and holder of a variety of awards and critical acclaim. He has been involved in more than 2200 recordings during his 35-year career. He is credited as a musician, producer, writer, composer, and arranger. His involvement in musical works have resulted in multi-platinum selling recordings, Grammy Award, CMA Awards, American Music Award, etc. See also * Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) * Federal Communications Commission (FCC) * Intellectual Property trade groups * International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) * List of music organizations in the United States * Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) References External links * Category:Arts and media trade groups Category:Organizations established in 2006 Category:Music industry Category:Music industry associations